On November 1, Australia Post issued its Christmas stamps for 2022 with five gummed stamps, five self-adhesive booklet stamps, a miniature sheet of the two religious stamps from this issue, along with the usual assortment of first day covers, PNC’s, gutter strips, maximum cards, etc.

According to the postal administration’s press release,

In a year that has impacted Australians in more ways than one, Australia Post has a special message for its 2022 festive stamps, to help spread some cheer – a tradition that started in 1957.

‘Peace’ and ‘Joy’ lead a newly launched Christmas stamp issue, with two stamps prominently displaying these words and a third featuring ‘Noel’, the French word for Christmas.

A further two stamps honour the traditional use of stained-glass art in Christian churches, with religious representations of the Archangel Gabriel, Mary and Jesus Christ.

In addition, a series of Christmas Island stamps feature Santa landing on the island by plane, captained by his trusty reindeer, as the local fauna, including the famous red crab, gathers around expectantly.

Australia Post Group Manager Philatelic, Michael Zsolt, said December was the season to share joy with loved ones near and far, to send Christmas cards or post a thoughtful gift that can make someone’s day.

“It’s a time of sharing with others, the giving of gifts and a chance to reflect on events of 2022 as the year draws to a close,” Mr Zsolt said.

“There’s something truly special about sending and receiving Christmas cards, and despite the rise of digital communications, we still see plenty of Australians honouring this long-held tradition.

“The Christmas season is one of the busiest of the year – not just for sending presents – but for touching base and sharing news and goodwill after a long year. To honour this and all the mail sent out at Christmas time, we take great care in creating relevant stamp designs that appeal to everyone.

“Our Christmas stamps are always popular, and we love seeing them out and about, spreading cheer throughout Australia.”

The range of Christmas stamps are on sale now at participating Post Offices, via mail order on 1800 331 794, and online while stocks last. For more information visit auspost.com.au/shop/christmas/stamps or australiapostcollectables.com.au

Any customers wanting to send cards and gifts for Christmas are encouraged to check auspost.com.au/Christmas for the domestic and international last sending dates, which vary depending on the destination.

The five stamp designs are:

65c Joy

“Joy” represents the feelings of happiness experienced during the festive season. The gummed stamps were issued in sheets of 50 stamps while there are embellished self-adhesive sheets of 10. They are also to be found in a self-adhesive booklet of 20 stamps, printed se-tenant with the 65c Peace stamps.

65c Peace

“Peace” represents the hope that at this special time of year there will be peace on Earth for all. There are gummed sheets of 50, se-tenant with the 65c Joy in a self-adhesive booklet of 20 and embellished self-adhesive sheets of 10 stamps.

65c Madonna and Child

This stamp illustration portrays the Madonna tenderly holding the Christ Child in her arms and is presented in the style of a stained-glass window. They were printed in sheets of 50 gummed stamps and are also available in self-adhesive booklets of 20.

$2.60 Noël

Based on the Latin word natalis, the old French word “Noël” means Christmas but also a carol or song in English-speaking cultures. In France “Merry Christmas” is expressed as Joyeux Noël. The stamps are sold in gummed sheets of 50 and self-adhesive sheetlets of five stamps.

$2.60 Archangel Gabriel

This stamp illustration depicts the Archangel Gabriel, an important character in the Christmas story, who announced to the Virgin Mary that she had been chosen to be delivered of a son, Jesus Christ. The design is presented as a stained-glass window scene. There are 50 gummed stamps in a sheet with the self-adhesive stamps sold in sheetlets of five.

Miniature Sheet

The Christmas 2022 minisheet consists of the two religious stamps from the issue incorporated into a miniature stamp sheet.

First Day Covers

The first day cover is a pictorial envelope with the five gummed stamps from the Christmas 2022 stamp issue affixed and postmarked – First day of issue | 1 November 2022 | Merrylands NSW 2160. There was also a first day cover sold bearing the miniature sheet.

Technical Specifications

Issue Date	1 November 2022
Issue Withdrawal Date	31 December 2023
Denominations	65c x 3, $2.60 x 2
Stamp Illustration (religious)	Gavin Ryan
Stamp Design (secular)	Simone Sakinofsky, Australia Post Design Studio
Product Design	Simone Sakinofsky, Australia Post Design Studio
Paper: Gummed	Tullis Russell 104gsm Red Phos
Paper: Self-Adhesive	Arconvert Securepost MC90, Raflatac Cast s/a sheet 10
Printer (religious)	RA Printing
Printer (secular)	EGO
Printer (secular sheetlet of 10)	Rapid Labels
Printing Process	Offset lithography
Printer Process (secular sheetlet of 10)	Inkjet 1200 dpi
Stamp size (mm)	26 x 37.5
Minisheet size (mm)	135 x 80
Sheetlet of 10 (mm)	192 x 120
Perforations	14.6 x 13.86
Sheet Layout	Modules of 50
FDI Postmark	Merrylands NSW 2160
FDI Withdrawal Date	29 November 2022

Philatelic Numismatic Covers

Two PNC’s were produced for this issue, one using a $1 Perth Mint coin and the other with a 50c Royal Austalian Mint coin.

The Christmas 2022 Royal Australian Mint Postal Numismatic Cover is highly collectable, featuring a pictorial envelope with the 65c Joy and 65c Peace stamps from stamp issue and a coin from the Royal Australian Mint. The stamps are postmarked – First day of issue | 1 November 2022 | Merrylands NSW 2160

PNC Issue: 2022 Issue 33, limited to 7,500

The Christmas 2022 Perth Mint Postal Numismatic Cover is highly collectable, featuring a pictorial envelope with the 65c Joy and 65c Peace stamps from the stamp issue and a coin from the Perth Mint. The stamps are postmarked – First day of issue | 1 November 2022 | Merrylands NSW 2160

PNC Issue: 2022 Issue 32, limited to 6,500